Vacuum floor cleaner



April 20, 1937. M SCHMERMUND 2,078,101

VACUUM FLOOR CLEANER Filed OCT.. 21, 1956 Patented Apr. 20, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VACUUM FLOOR CLEANER Lydia M. Schmermundx St. Louis, Mo. Application October 211936, Serial No. 106,828 s claims. (ci. -10) My invention relates to improvements in vacuum floor cleaners and polishers and the main object is to provide a machine by which all dust and other particles may be brushed up from the 5 iioor and drawn by suction up into a bag and the like brushed up by these brushes when the machine is moved either way or back and forth over the floor will be drawn up through these inlets to the bag.

A further object is to provide a machine of this kind including also a polishing pad of felt or other resilient material located between the aforesaid brushes and adapted to polish the floor after it has been brushed clean by the brushes.

Another object is to provide a device of this kind in which the said housing is provided at its sides with concaved depressions lined with felt or other suitable material for cleaning around the legs of tables or other heavy articles of furniture. Y

With these and other objects in view the invention resides in the novel construction and arrangement of parts as hereinafter fully set forth and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing as showing a preferred embodiment of my invention for purposes of exemplication.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cleaning vand polishing machine constructed in accordance with my invention and showing the same in use on a floor and cleaning around a table leg.

Figure 2 is an enlarged side View partially in vertical longitudinal section of the housing and motor portion of the machine.

Figure 3 is an. inverted plan or bottom view of the machine, a portion of one brush and of the pad being broken away. f

Figure 4 is a further enlarged fragmental vertical cross section through one end ofthe machine.

In carrying out my invention I provide a housing shown generally at 5 of substantially rectangular form in plan and which includes an out er wall portion 6 and smaller inner Wall portion 1. At the sides the portions 6 and 1 are joined and held in spaced relation thus providing an air chamber 8 beneath the entire top of the said outer portion. The front and rear ends of the portions 6 and 1 are then turned down in spaced relation as at 9 forming narrow front and rear suction inlets I0 and II extending the entire width of the housing. A fan housing I2 is formed integrally with the housing portion 6 at its center andcommunicates with the air chamber 8 as at I3. An electric motor A is mounted atop this housing I2 and drives a suction fan B therein and a suction outlet C leads from the housing for connection to a conventional dust bag D. A handle E has a hook F to support this bag D and the fork G of the handle 1s pivoted at I4 to ears I5 which are extendedupwardly from the housing I2 each side of the motor. The upper ends of the ears I5 have bosses IB punched or formed inwardly and the fork G at each side has shallow sockets I1 into which these bosses I8 will enter when the handle E is turned upward to a vertical position thus releasably holding the handle thusly while the machine is not in use and facilitating storage. When the motor A is in operation it turns the fan B and sets up a suction up through the aforesaid inlets Ill and Il` as'will be readily apparent. A 'flat rectangular mountingplate I8 of such size as to fit up into the housing beneaththe lower section 1 thereof is provided and is removably secured in this position by screws I9 screwed up into the housing. Adjacent each end of this mounting plate I8 a pair of spaced parallel brush mounting springs or spring strips 20 is provided. These strips are loi elongated form to extend entlrely across the plate I8 and have base mounting angles or feet 2| by which they are riveted as at 22 to the plate. The extremities of each pair of the strips are curved or turned inwardly toward each other forming shoulders or hooks 23.

Conventional elongated bristle brushesA 24 areA Amounting block 26 of wood or any other suitable material is secured by screws 21 to the plate I8 and is of rectangular shape-to t nicely up into the housing 5 between the brushes 24. Around its margins the block 26 has the female members 28 of conventional snap fasteners secured in spaced relation. A polishing pad 29 o felt, sheeps wool or other suitable material is provided and is of such shape and size that when placed against the lower at face S of the block 26 the margins 3l of the pad will extend all around and may be turned up over the margins of the block. These margins 3l then have the male members 32 ofthe snap fasteners secured to them and by engaging the snap fastener members the pad may be stretched tightly over the block and will present a flat even lower surface reinforced and backed up by the block as will be understood.

In use the machine is supported on the floor by the fiat face of the pad 29 with the brushes 2li in contact with the floor but with the lower margins of the housing 5 clear of the floor. The motor then being set in operation the machine is moved back and forth over the floor and on the forward movement the frontal or leading brush 2li will brush up al1 dust particles and the like on the oor and brushing these particles ahead will allow the suction in the frontal inlet IU to draw them up and finally deposit them in the bag D. The following pad 29 will thus operate upon a clean floor and will polish it without injury due to scratches or the like from particles beneath the pad. As the machine is pulled back the rear brush 2d becomes the leading one and throws any particles left up into ing section l are turned inwardly at their extremities at 9a, so that the inlets lil and Il fall at their inner margins immediately adjacent 40 ,the brushes 24 to facilitate the picking up of dirt brushed up by these brushes as will be under-A stood.

The opposite lateral margins of the housing 5 have medial concaved depressions or recesses 33 which are lined as at 3d with felt or other resilient material and thus by engaging these linaovaioi ings with the legs L of a table T or other article of furniture as shown in Figure 1 the legs may be dusted at the oor line. 'Ihe mounting block 26 and pad 29 are of course cut out as shown at 35 to fit where these recesses 33 are formed.

A rubber bumper strip 36 secured around the margins of the housing 5 prevent Ainjury to furniture by the machine striking it in use.

While I have herein set forth a certain preferred embodiment of my invention, it is understood that I may vary from the same in minor structural details so as best to provide a practical device for the purposes intended, not departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In a device of the kind described, a housing having an air chamber and parallel inlet slots at opposite ends, a suction fan and motor mounted on the housing, brushes mounted on the housing parallel to and inward of the said inlet slots, and -a polishing pad mounted on the housing between the said brushes.

2r In a device of the kind described, a rectangular housing having an air chamber and parallel downwardly opening air inlet slots at opposite ends, a suction fan and motor mounted on the housing, brushes mounted beneath the housing parallel to and inward of the said air inlet slots, and a rectangular polishing pad mounted beneath the housing and between the said brushes.

3. In a device of the kind described, a rectangular housing including inner and outer portions spaced apart to form an air chamber, a suction ian and motor mounted on the housing, the ends of the housing portions being turned downwardly to form narrow parallel air inlet slots at each end of the housing, a mounting plate secured beneath the housing between the said air inlet slots, a brush removably mounted at each end of the mounting plate parallel to the air inlet slots, and a polishing pad mounted on the mounting plate between the said brushes.

LYDIA M. SCHMERMUND. 

